Bypass for town burdened by traffic

A new bypass aims to take some of the traffic strain off Żyrardów. Located some 45 km south-west of Warsaw, this town will benefit from a state-of-the-art 15.1 km road that is able to carry an average 12 600 vehicles a day.

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Construction of the Żyrardów bypass will take around a year and a half, under a project that is partly funded by the EU. It will take place along and include links to Poland’s National Road No. 50.

Cutting transit traffic

Żyrardów has struggled in recent years to cope with a growing volume of traffic, especially heavy vehicles and transit traffic. The planned bypass will ease the problem, by diverting most of this traffic around a new public road to the west. The new infrastructure is designed to benefit drivers from the neighbouring areas, as well as cars and trucks passing through the town on the DK50 national road (southern Warsaw bypass).

The project includes construction of the Żyrardów bypass along a new route, including the construction of intersections with existing roads, the construction of access roads, footpaths, bus-stop bays and flyovers. More than 20 underpasses will also be built for small wild animals.

A welcome relief road

When the two-lane bypass opens in 2011, the first year of operation, it is expected to carry up to 8 223 passenger vehicles every day, plus 1 140 delivery vehicles and some 620 trucks, an estimated 3 305 trucks with trailers and some 130 buses. Experts predict the road could provide drivers with time savings equal to around €8.6 million a year.

Besides the 15.1 km bypass, the project is building several other related roads. These include two km of district roads and 14.5 km of service roads. Further notable civil engineering structures to be constructed include eight flyovers, a bridge over the River Okrzesza, 25 retention tanks and a utility crossing on a service road. To reduce noise nuisance, the project will erect screens with a total surface area of approximately 17 250 square metres.

The bypass will allow vehicles to travel at up to 100 km/hour and will be able to carry heavy vehicles with a maximum single axle load equal to 115 kN, in line with EU standards. Generally accessible and free, the new road should significantly reduce the passage of traffic through Żyrardów, reduce the number of vehicle accidents, and cut noise and pollution levels for the benefit of the entire local population.